Leonardo AW09
in Kopter

Acquired by Leonardo in 2020, the Kopter SH-09 will continue to be developed by Kopter in Switzerland as the AW09.

As of May 2026, The Leonardo AW09 program is in the final stages of its certification campaign, with Leonardo Helicopters targeting European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) type certification during 2026 and first customer deliveries expected before the end of the year. The aircraft, formerly developed as the Kopter SH09 before Leonardo acquired the Swiss manufacturer in 2020, is intended to compete in the light single-engine market with a modern glass cockpit, large cabin, and advanced avionics suite. Serial production activities are already underway at Leonardo’s Vergiate facility in Italy, where the first customer-configured aircraft are being prepared ahead of entry into service.

The certification campaign involves multiple pre-series and production-representative aircraft, including PS4, PS5, and S6, which are conducting flight envelope expansion, function and reliability testing, and EASA evaluation flights. Agency pilots completed additional assessment flights during April 2026 at Mollis, Switzerland, reportedly confirming the maturity of the design as the program approaches certification closure. Leonardo has stated that all critical pass/fail qualification tests have now been completed, including demanding gearbox and systems evaluations that previously contributed to delays in the program timeline. The first production aircraft delivered is expected to be the seventh airframe, S7, with an undisclosed French operator identified as the launch customer for corporate transport missions.

The AW09 program experienced several schedule delays during development, most notably following gearbox-related redesign work identified in late 2024, which temporarily paused parts of the certification effort. Despite these setbacks, Leonardo remains confident that the helicopter will achieve certification within 2026. FAA validation for the United States market is expected to follow roughly one year after EASA approval, likely placing initial North American deliveries in 2027. The manufacturer has also indicated that the AW09 has accumulated a growing commercial backlog exceeding 120 orders and commitments across multiple international markets.